The Nigerian Government has warned International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country to desist from disregarding gas flare directives of various regulatory agencies in Nigeria.
Speaking at the third edition of the National Extractive Dialogue 2024, organised by Spaces-4 -Change, a non-governmental organization on Wednesday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, stated that though a few IOCs often complied with these directives, most of the oil firms were not complying and stressed that this would not be tolerated.
“Following my directive to NOSDRA (National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency) in March this year, while a few international oil companies and other operators are heeding the call of the government for gas flare transparency and accountability, most international oil companies are not responding.
“They expect to be called by NOSDRA, which reflects a disregard for Nigeria’s environmental sustainability agenda,” he said.
He stated that this will not be tolerated, as Nigeria is committed to ending the gas flare and that the country has a view date and is working hard to achieve this target.
This, according to the minister, is why the government is imposing penalties on IOCs and other local operators in the oil sector to discourage gas flaring.
Salako disclosed that the Nigerian Government would not tolerate such disregard against gas flare directives, adding that the operators have a responsibility to lead from the front and support the vision of Nigeria to end gas flaring.
“Let me, therefore, use this platform to issue a strong warning from the Federal Ministry of Environment, acting on its mandate to secure a quality environment conducive to good health and well-being of flora and fauna, we no longer tolerate such disregard to the legitimate call of NOSDRA,” he added.
GIK/APA
Nigeria warns IOCs against disregarding gas flare directives
